# Ad Creative Acceptance Policy — Northwind Media Network

*Written the way a policy team actually writes: prose, for humans. The compiler's job is to turn each numbered clause into one or more machine-checkable rules over the extraction schema — and to say so explicitly when a clause can't be reduced to the available fields.*

## 1. Restricted categories

1.1 **Alcohol.** Alcohol advertising is accepted only when audience targeting is set to 21+ and the creative carries a responsible-drinking message (e.g. "Drink Responsibly", "Enjoy Responsibly"). Alcohol creatives must not depict anyone who appears to be under 25.

1.2 **Gambling & betting.** Must target 18+ (21+ preferred), must display an age badge in the creative, and must include a problem-gambling helpline or "gamble responsibly" style message. Claims of guaranteed winnings or "risk-free" bets are prohibited outright. Gambling advertisers must hold a valid gaming license in every state the campaign targets.

1.3 **Financial services.** Any ad that shows an interest rate, monthly payment, or promotional credit offer must state a representative APR in the creative. "Guaranteed approval" and similar language is not permitted.

1.4 **Weight loss, supplements & pharma.** Before/after body or skin comparison imagery is not permitted in any category. Ads must not claim to treat, cure, or prevent a medical condition. Weight-loss ads may not target under-18s.

## 2. Claims & substantiation

2.1 Superlatives and absolutes ("#1", "best", "guaranteed", "instant", "miracle", "risk-free") require substantiation we can't verify at review time — flag any creative using them for manual review rather than rejecting.

2.2 Comparative advertising that names or shows a competitor brand is flagged for legal review.

## 3. Creative quality

3.1 Text overlay should be kept minimal. Creatives where text covers a high proportion of the image are rejected; medium coverage is flagged with a recommendation to reduce.

3.2 Every creative must clearly identify the advertiser — a brand name or logo must be visible.

## 4. Audience safety

4.1 If targeting metadata leaves minimum age unset, treat the ad as reaching all ages: restricted categories (alcohol, gambling, weight loss, financial services) are then rejected regardless of creative content.

4.2 Creatives depicting apparent minors are not permitted in alcohol, gambling, weight-loss, or cosmetics/skincare categories.

## 5. Regional & channel requirements

5.1 **New Jersey.** Gambling creatives running in New Jersey must display the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline number in the creative.

5.2 **Email.** Alcohol and gambling creatives may not run in the email channel at all.

5.3 **Self-serve accounts.** Financial-services ads from self-serve advertisers are always flagged for manual review, even when otherwise compliant.